Behavior Change

According to the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU), approximately 70% of healthcare-related costs are attributed to lifestyle factors, like smoking and obesity. To improve health, we ...

All Posts

Whole Health Coaches are an integral part of Vera’s on-site clinics. They work closely with providers to develop personalized care plans for patients and advocate for patients to drive their own positive health outcomes. How do they do that? By leading patients to change their behaviors.Read More

“Most people know that being overweight or obese is unhealthy, and if you eat too much that contributes to being overweight. But just telling people there’s a problem doesn’t solve it.” — Dr. James Krieger, Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington, cited in the New York Times , American Adults Just Keeping Getting FatterRead More

Our dedication to improving long-term health outcomes drove us to become experts in behavior change. Why? Because of the close relationship between behavior and health. According to the National Association of Health Underwriters, “behavior is the most significant determinant of health status.”Read More

According to the Centers for Disease Control, chronic health conditions are responsible for 86% of all healthcare spending. This striking statistic is the motivation for an increase in wellness programs across the country. In an article for the Wall Street Journal, writer Barbara Sadick highlights how wellness programs work and how they seek to reduce costs by improving health.Read More

Vera Whole Health is committed to improving patient health through behavior change. It’s why all Vera on-site clinics employ full-time, trained health coaches as part of a patient’s dedicated care team. It’s also why our hiring practices and training techniques include a focus on behavior change so that health coaches have the tools they need to help patients identify and achieve their goals for better health. To learn more about behavior change and why it’s so important at Vera, we sat down with CEO Ryan Schmid for an informative Q&A session.Read More

“Combining a whole-life focus with scientifically validated techniques to change your mind is the work of well-trained, certified health and wellness coaches.” — Margaret Moore, CNN Health , How a wellness coach changes your mind In an article for CNN Health, health coach and CEO of Wellcoaches Corp, Margaret Moore, writes about the powerful impact that coaching can have on overall health. Citing a CDC study which found that less than 10% of people believe their lives are ideal, Moore notes, “We can’t improve health when we are in a stressed-out state. Instead, cultivating a thriving mind is necessary to attain a healthy body.” Helping to cultivate the thriving mind is where health coaches come in.Read More

“People need to decide what they really want. I’m not getting any younger and it’s not getting any easier. I knew what I needed to do, I just didn’t want to do it.” — Frank Garcia, Vera patient in Flagstaff When the Flagstaff school district opened a Vera on-site clinic for its staff, Principal Frank Garcia thought it sounded like a cool idea. In particular, Frank was interested in health coaching. Diabetes was common in his family and he knew that his weight made him all the more likely to follow in their footsteps. So, he made an appointment.Read More

Are you worn out? Pessimistic? Feeling stuck? Have you lost interest in the things you used to enjoy? Before you make any life-altering decisions like quitting your job or leaving your partner, consider that you may be dealing with burnout.Read More

Appointments that focus on empathetic listening practices and forming meaningful connections are one of the cornerstones of Vera Whole Health’s clinical experience. While the average appointment with a provider lasts just 7 minutes nationally, Vera’s appointments are between 30 minutes and an hour. But as Vera CEO Ryan Schmid says, “it’s not just time for time’s sake.” To find out more about the impact of Vera’s appointment model, we sat down with Ryan to discuss how more time and more empathy drive big results and better health outcomes.Read More